29. Against the background of this sweeping
panorama a question arises: can we draw up a specific programme of
initiatives for the immediate preparation of the Great Jubilee? In
fact, what has been said above already includes some elements of such a
programme.

A more detailed plan of specific events will call for widespread consultation, in order
for it not to be artificial and difficult to implement in the particular Churches, which
live in such different conditions. For this reason, I wished to consult the Presidents of
the Episcopal Conferences and especially the Cardinals.

I am grateful to the members of the College of Cardinals who met in Extraordinary
Consistory on 13-14 June 1994, considered numerous proposals and suggested helpful
guidelines. I also thank my Brothers in the Episcopate who in various ways communicated
valuable ideas, which I have kept carefully in mind while writing this Apostolic Letter.

30. The first recommendation which clearly emerged from the consultation regards the
period of preparation. Only a few years now separate us from the Year 2000: it seemed
fitting to divide this period into two phases, reserving the strictly
preparatory phase for the last three years. It was thought that the accumulation of
many activities over the course of a longer period of preparation would detract from its
spiritual intensity.

It was therefore considered appropriate to
approach the historic date with a first
phase, which would make the faithful aware of general themes, and then
to concentrate the direct and immediate preparation into a second phase consisting
of a three-year
period wholly directed to the celebration of the mystery of Christ the
Saviour.

a) First Phase

31. The first phase will therefore be
of an ante- preparatory character; it is meant to revive in the
Christian people an awareness of the value and meaning of the Jubilee of the
Year 2000 in human history. As a commemoration of the Birth of
Christ, the Jubilee is deeply charged with Christological significance.

In keeping with the unfolding of the Christian faith in word and Sacrament, it seems
important, even in this special anniversary, to link the structure of memorial with
that of celebration, not limiting commemoration of the event only to ideas but also
making its saving significance present through the celebration of the Sacraments. The
Jubilee celebration should confirm the Christians of today in their faith in God
who has revealed himself in Christ, sustain their hope which reaches out in
expectation of eternal life, and rekindle their charity in active service to their
brothers and sisters.

During the first stage (1994 to 1996) the Holy See, through a special Committee established
for this purpose, will suggest courses of reflection and action at the universal level. A
similar commitment to promoting awareness will be carried out in a more detailed way by
corresponding Commissions in the local Churches. In a way, it is a question of
continuing what was done in the period of remote preparation and at the same time of coming
to a deeper appreciation of the most significant aspects of the Jubilee celebration.

32. A Jubilee is always an occasion of
special grace, "a day blessed by the Lord". As has already been
noted, it is thus a time of joy. The Jubilee of the Year 2000 is meant to be
a great prayer of praise and thanksgiving, especially for the gift
of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of the Redemption which he
accomplished. In the Jubilee Year Christians will stand with the renewed
wonder of faith before the love of the Father, who gave his Son, "that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16).
With a profound sense of commitment, they will likewise express their
gratitude for the gift of the Church, established by Christ as
"a kind of sacrament or sign of intimate union with God, and of the
unity of all mankind".(14) Their thanksgiving will embrace the fruits of holiness which
have matured in the life of all those many men and women who in every
generation and every period of history have fully welcomed the gift of
Redemption.

Nevertheless, the joy of every Jubilee is
above all a joy based upon the forgiveness
of sins, the joy of conversion. It therefore seems appropriate to
emphasize once more the theme of the Synod of Bishops in 1984: penance and reconciliation.(15)
That Synod was an event of extraordinary significance in the life of the
post-conciliar Church. It took up the ever topical question of conversion ("metanoia"),
which is the pre-condition for reconciliation with God on the part of both
individuals and communities.

33. Hence it is appropriate that, as the Second Millennium of Christianity draws to a
close, the Church should become more fully conscious of the sinfulness of her children,
recalling all those times in history when they departed from the spirit of Christ and his
Gospel and, instead of offering to the world the witness of a life inspired by the values
of faith, indulged in ways of thinking and acting which were truly forms of
counter-witness and scandal.

Although she is holy because of her
incorporation into Christ, the Church does not tire of doing penance: before
God and man she always acknowledges as her own her sinful sons
and daughters. As Lumen Gentium affirms: "The Church,
embracing sinners to her bosom, is at the same time holy and always in need
of being purified, and incessantly pursues the path of penance and
renewal".(16)